Hector Xiang had only heard about it, never seen it for himself, so he could only describe it roughly: when the blizzards converge, it's like an earthquake shaking the mountains—everything around trembles violently.
The ground cracks deeply at the same time.
He didn’t know the specifics, so Evan Yang could only go all out. The cracks around them surged like venomous snakes, and Evan frantically dove deeper underground.
When the fissures were only a zhang away, their speed finally slowed. Evan Yang let out a breath and said, "It’s finally over."
"Mm." Hannah Nangong and Hector Xiang replied together.
But just as they thought it was over, the cracks suddenly exploded—boom! Evan Yang and the other two were swept into them at lightning speed. By the time Evan reacted, all three were caught inside, as if being torn apart.
"Ah!" Hannah Nangong and Hector Xiang cried out in shock.
Evan Yang quickly grabbed Hannah Nangong with one hand and Hector Xiang with the other, telling them, "Hold on to me!"
"Mm." Hannah Nangong and Hector Xiang knew death was close, because right now they were inside the blizzard.
They had no idea Evan Yang was already preparing a backup plan to take them away.
Once Evan Yang stabilized himself in the blizzard, since they were at the very bottom, it wasn’t as terrifying yet—but if they waited much longer, who knew what would happen. Just then, Evan said, "Relax."
"Relax?" The two didn’t understand, but Evan Yang surely wouldn’t have them die, so they relaxed.
In that instant of relaxation, Evan Yang sent both of them into the tower. Then they heard Evan’s voice: "Stay inside, I’ll be right there."
After that, everything went quiet, leaving Hector Xiang clueless. "Where is this place?"
"It’s one of his spatial treasures. I wonder how he’s doing outside?" Hannah Nangong worried about Evan Yang’s safety.
Hector Xiang was worried both about Evan Yang and whether this treasure could withstand the tearing force outside.
"He should be fine, right?" Hector Xiang said.
"I believe he’ll be fine." Hannah Nangong gritted her teeth and replied.
Hector Xiang nodded. Waiting was torture, especially since neither of them knew time inside the tower flowed fifty times faster. Outside, only a short while passed, but inside it felt like years.
At that moment, Evan Yang was outside, enduring the wild devouring force, constantly being swept along. "Damn, this tearing power really is strong," he muttered.
Facing the blizzard’s savage tearing force, Evan Yang knew he couldn’t hold out much longer—if he kept going, he’d be shredded. So he flashed into the tower.
Inside the tower, time had dragged on. When they saw Evan Yang covered in wounds and with torn clothes, Hannah Nangong thought he’d suffered something terrible. With sadness in her voice, she asked, "What happened to you? Are you alright?"
"I’m fine, don’t worry." Evan Yang smiled.
Hector Xiang walked over. "Are you really okay?"
"Yeah, I’m fine." Evan Yang nodded.
"So what do we do now?" Once she was sure Evan Yang was safe, Hannah Nangong shifted from anxious waiting to calm inquiry.
"It’s still a blizzard outside. Looks like we’re getting closer to the center," Evan Yang said.
"The closer to the center, the stronger it gets. Can we withstand it?" Hector Xiang asked worriedly.
"It shouldn’t be a problem," Evan Yang replied.
Seeing Evan Yang so certain, Hector Xiang suppressed his curiosity and kept waiting.
Evan Yang had the two wait quietly inside, while he monitored the changes outside. The fissures kept spreading, the violent force kept extending downward, and the tower had now been swept into the very center.
"What a strange, wild blizzard." Evan Yang muttered as he watched the wind mixed with snowflakes.
Facing such oddity outside, Evan Yang was curious—how could the Snowveil Star System have something so powerful? Just as he wondered, something appeared below, as if something was happening.
Looking closer, he realized it was none other than Li Yu and his group. They were suffering now; Evan Yang didn’t intervene, or else he’d just be raising ingrates.
So Evan Yang watched the situation outside. One by one, those people were shredded—especially as they neared the center, approaching Evan’s position, they were torn into pieces. Not only that, even their souls were destroyed.
"That’s truly turning to dust." Evan Yang muttered.
The carnage outside was beyond description. Watching those people die one after another, Evan Yang sighed helplessly. He wasn’t some savior—just moments ago, they’d wanted to kill him. If they’d stood with him, they wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Once Li Yu’s last expert died, Evan Yang snapped out of it and asked Hector Xiang, who was waiting nearby, "Brother Xiang, how long does this blizzard usually last?"
"That depends. It’s hard to say, but I’ve heard it lasts at least half a month," Hector Xiang replied.
"Half a month? How are these things formed, and how do they disappear?" Evan Yang asked, confused.
"I have no idea either," Hector Xiang admitted, confused.
Seeing he didn’t know, Evan Yang nodded, his expression turning strange. Hannah Nangong came over, curious, and asked, "What’s it like outside now?"
"Those people are dead," Evan Yang said.
"Those people? They’re dead?" Hannah Nangong hadn’t expected it, and Hector Xiang asked in surprise, "All dead?"
"Yeah. Given the situation, we should be fine. Just wait for it to end," Evan Yang said.
With Evan Yang’s reassurance, Hannah Nangong and Hector Xiang felt as if reborn after a disaster, their hearts full of relief.
"Alright, there’s nothing else. You two should rest for now. When it’s time to leave, I’ll let you know," Evan Yang said.
Hannah Nangong nodded, but Hector Xiang hesitated and then asked, "How should I address you?"
"I’m Evan Yang, she’s Hannah Nangong. What about you, Brother Xiang?" Evan Yang smiled.
"I’m Hector Xiang, from the Snowveil Star System. Thanks so much, Brother Yang—if not for you, I’d have been killed by those people, or by the blizzard," Hector Xiang said.
"So, is there really a toad here?" Evan Yang wanted to know.
Hector Xiang paused, then smiled. "Yes, but Brother Yang, are you from that place?"
"What place?" Evan Yang asked, confused.
"The famous Spirit-Driving Sect in the Snowveil Star System," Hector Xiang said.
"Spirit-Driving Sect? What kind of sect is that? Why do you say so, Brother Xiang?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
Hearing Evan Yang wasn’t from the Spirit-Driving Sect, Hector Xiang paused, then explained, "The Spirit-Driving Sect is a famous sect here. They’re known for controlling powerful toads, and their most famous ability is using toad venom—just like you did to those people earlier."
After hearing this, Evan Yang understood: Hector thought the poison was toad venom and assumed he was from that sect. But Evan also got a clue—was the poison really toad venom? Uncertain, he asked, "Brother Xiang, do you know toad venom?"
"I know a bit. If it’s a shallow poison, I can cure it. But if it’s deeper, only the top experts of my sect can remove it," Hector Xiang said.
"Oh? You can handle this kind of poison? What’s your sect?" Hearing that the Snowveil sect could deal with toad venom, Evan Yang was curious.
"We’re another famous sect here, known for making medicines—the Star-Sand Sect. Our specialty is researching antidotes for toad venom," Hector Xiang said.
"I see. So why did you come here this time?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"Sigh, my sect sent us out for training—to catch some toads and bring them back. So I stayed here for a while, researched some places based on toad traits, and found traces of toads here. But after arriving, I ran into this situation," Hector Xiang said helplessly.
Evan Yang understood Hector Xiang’s background, so he nodded and asked, "Can you tell what age toad my poison came from?"
"That’s hard to say, but I’d estimate at least several hundred thousand years old—maybe even a million. But I’m curious, how did you get this poison?" Hector Xiang asked, voicing the question he’d been wondering about.
Evan Yang was glad he’d saved people. Hearing it might be hundreds of thousands or even a million years old made him happy, so he smiled and said, "I got it at the rocky ridge north of the city when we set out."
"What? There’s something like that there?" Hector Xiang exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, at first I didn’t know what kind of poison it was, so I just collected it. Tell me, if it really is from a million-year-old toad, would it stay there?" Evan Yang asked.
"That’s hard to say, but on a planet like this, it shouldn’t appear—unless it sneaked in or has been hiding here for ages," Hector Xiang said.
"Why are you so sure?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"Because there are many sects in the Snowveil Star System famous for handling toads. They take high-aged toads away from the outer planets, so they don’t harm the locals," Hector Xiang explained.
"That’s true," Evan Yang thought. If this poison could do so much damage to ordinary people, it was even more important to manage it carefully.
"Also, if possible, when we go back, take me to see it," Hector Xiang said.
"You’re not afraid?" Evan Yang asked.
"I am, but I want to witness it for myself," Hector Xiang replied.
"Witness it? It’s just a toad," Evan Yang laughed.
"You don’t understand. In our sect, anyone who finds a toad over several hundred thousand years old is considered impressive. Even if I didn’t discover it myself, if I get to see it this time, I’ll have bragging rights," Hector Xiang laughed.
"How do you tell them apart? What habits do they have? Where do they live?" Evan Yang smiled and asked.
"That’s tricky. Toads over hundreds of thousands of years old can shrink themselves very small. Sometimes we mistake them for ordinary toads," Hector Xiang said.
"Oh? How do you tell?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"There are a few details. For one, their breathing is smooth. Also, their aura carries a faint black qi—sometimes the breath they exhale is fine and black. There are other details too; let me think," Hector Xiang said.